Three Steps to Prevent High Water Bills Due to Plumbing Problems

Receiving your monthly utility bill can be stressful even before you get the envelope open. In part because you can never be sure how much it will cost. This is because unexpected problems can end up hiking your bills up substantially.

One factor that has been notorious for affecting a household’s utility bills is water leakage. Across the entire nation, household leaks can wast more than 1 trillion gallons of water. Just a single household can lose over 1,000 gallons of water every year. That amounts to about as much water as is needed to wash 270 loads of laundry.

So how can you make sure that plumbing problems aren’t draining your bank account? Here are a few steps to follow:

1. Water Pressure: Obviously you don’t need to be checking your meter every time you take a shower, but keep an eye out for any strange changes in pressure. Even when you’re just washing your hands, check to see if it is coming out lighter than usual.
   
   If you do feel like there may have been a change, turn the faucet up to full power and see how strong the flow is. It is probably also a good idea to do this early on to see how high the pressure should be.
2. Water Damage: When pipes begin to leak behind walls or in ceilings, it will often leave discoloration or bubbling of the paint or wallpaper. Unfortunately that means the water damage is sever enough to have leaked through the wood, but at least now you can work to stop it.
   
   Besides just the high bills, water damage can also be very dangerous to your health. Mold can thrive on the damp spots where water damage will accumulate. Inhaling the spores that are given off by mold can lead to respiratory problems.
3. Watch your bills: This may seem self-explanatory and unavoidable since you will need to pay them every month anyway, but that doesn’t make it any less helpful. Unless there was some reason you had used a large amount of water for something in the past month, water bills should stay relatively similar. If you’ve started to notice a substantial increase, there’s a good chance you’re having plumbing problems.

It’s easy to underestimate how large of an impact even small leaks can have on water use. Even just fixing minor plumbing problems can save a home around 10% of costs on their water bills. A few plumbing repairs from licensed plumbers could have you spending that extra money on something you will actually enjoy. Links like this. Learn more.